If there is a vehicle that is really charismatic within Lancia, that is the Stratos. The two-seater coupe was the epitome of the wedge design (wedge) from the 70s and also went down in history for its performance in competition. When its production ended in 1978 it seemed that the brand was orphaned. Although they presented a prototype that could fill that gap, the lancia sibilo. Unfortunately, it only stayed in the project and did not make it to production, but we can consider it as a rolling work of art.
To create the Sibilo, the people at Lancia took the chassis of the Stratos with a wheelbase extended to 2,280mm. On that basis, they designed an even more futuristic bodywork, signed by Marcello Gandini himself, who was Bertone’s chief designer at the time. The idea was to create a kind of comprehensive volume, like a spaceship with all surfaces smooth and continuous. You can see perfectly how all the windows are in the same line, even the side windows cannot be lowered (they have a circular opening).
You can also see some fully integrated bumper and with the peculiar characteristic of partially fairing the rear wheels. On a technical level, the truth is that there were no major changes to the Lancia Stratos. The Sibilo also has in a central position the 2.4-liter V6 engine with three Weber 40 IDF carburettors, linked to the five-speed manual gearbox. Get a power of 190 CV and has disc brakes on all four wheels to put a bit of control to the set.
Another point that did not go unnoticed in the Lancia Sibilo was its two-seater interior. The first thing that catches your eye is solid steering wheel, in one piece and without the central opening that is usually characteristic. From it you can control the lights and other aspects, while on the board there are some LCD screens to show how ahead of its time it was. As we say, this model never reached production because the FIAT Group declined the offer made by Bertone.
His life is limited to that unique prototype created, which was sold for 95,200 euros in 2011. It is currently part of the Lopresto collection and has appeared in some events, such as the recently celebrated “The Ice” in St. Moritz (Switzerland), which is one of the most exclusive worldwide.
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